Disclaimer: I only own Alana.
I made a break to write this chapter. The story is near to the end, but not yet : )
Chapter twenty-one
Paris opened his eyes in shock. Alana was falling on the ground, her left arm covered with blood and her gaze lost in the distance. She opened her mouth, but no sound came. He caught her before she touched the floor, and kneeled carefuly.
"Alana, please, Alana.." He murmured, touching her face. Her eyes were strangely opened, with no life. Like the rest of her body. A murmur of voices behind him disturbed the peace of the place. Looking back, he felt the anger coming, together with tears.
"Well, well.. so finally everything is solved" Menelaus laughed, looking at Paris. "This young girl gave me more problems than a whole army.."
"I will kill you, Menelaus. I swear I'll kill you" Paris murmured, with his voice broken because of anger. The shock was even bigger when he saw who was standing behind him.
"Hello again, Paris" Said Helen, with her cold voice.
"You all .. you all will die. "Paris stood up and tried to approach Menelaus, but two soldiers stopped him. Paris looked at Helen, and shook his head. "Why?" He asked.
"Menelaus.." She said, and the big man turned around to meet her gaze. "Thanks for killing the girl who wanted to kill me.. she was dangerous"
"What are you saying?" Shouted Paris. Helen went on.
"Menelaus." She took his arm, whispering. "Paris wanted to force me to escape with him.. he and Alana were the ones who tied me up" Menelaus face contracted.
"Don't worry, my queen. I'll take care of everything. Now, go back to palace" He kissed her hand and she left, followed by her servants. That was the last time that Paris would see her. "Paris.. do you have any last wish before dying?" Paris started, amazed.
"What? Last wish?" His dark eyes opened in surprise. Then, he understood. A soldier took a bow, put an arrow on it and placed himself in front of Paris. "Write to my brother!!" He shouted, and Menelaus laughed.
"Do you think I'm a servant?" he turned around, and with a movement of his hand, the soldier let the arrow fly. Paris was dead.
From a window, Briseis had been witness of the events. Achilles was holding her, for she was shaking violently, crying in desperation.
"Never again" Murmured Achilles, taking his sword. He looked at his wife, who nodded. "Never again we'll put our feet in this kingdom" Brisies hugged him, and they both cried. Nobody ever saw them again. Some say they lived happily in a northern country.
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"Prince Hector, bad news" The man had just arrived in Troy, brought by a black horse. Nobody knew him, but he was asking for Hector all time. Hector stood up, leaving the chair where he was sitting. The man greeted him before speaking.
"Who are you? "Asked Hector, frowning. The man was sweating nervously.
"I come here to ask for help" His voice was shaking.
"What kind of help?And what are those bad news? "Hector didn't trust that guest, but his intuition told him to listen caerfully at his words.
"I'll tell you everything.. if you promise to let me live here.. protecting me from Greek lands" The prince narrowed his eyes. For the past ten days he had been receiving all kind of strange visitors, but this was the strangest one without any doubt.
"I can't promise you if you don't tell me" The man seemed to give up easily, his hands were shaking and he started to cry.
"I'm so scared that I can't live. I fear for my life, for my safety.. because.. I've betrayed Menelaus. " Hector's eyes opened in surprise.
"So you come from Sparta" The man nodded. "Go on"
"Terrible things had happened there.. I've betrayed him because I will tell his secret... I can't ever go back there, they will kill me. They will run after me and I don't have any place where to go.."
"Calm down and speak clear" Hector was getting impatient. The man nodded.
"Helen is a bad woman, she ordered them to kill Alana.. Menelaus killed her, but he also..." The man couldn't go on speaking when he saw Hector's face. He sat on the chair, so pale that he looked dead. "Prince Hector?" The man asked, and Hector moved his hand asking him to go on. "And Paris was there.. he tried to save her.."
"Paris? He was alive?" Hector's eyes opened with hope. "Where is my brother? Where?" He asked, breathless.
"Menelaus killed him as well.. he killed them and now.. now he will come to conquer Troy.. we're lost, everything is lost. Greece will win. " The man stopped talking, and Hector covered his face with his hands. Looking up then, his dark eyes full of tears, a small smile showed up.
"We will protect you, good man. And we will get ready for the war. After all.. this is my mission in this life.." Hector left the room.. and the man never saw him again.
"He's a hero" The man murmured, with tears in his eyes.
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"Alana? Alana?" I heard my name, somewhere. The smell of the sea, the seagulls flying over me.. and my back hurting. I was laying over stones, and a crowd was standing around me. I opened my eyes slowly, and looked at those people.
"Dave? Sarah? Pat?" I asked, shocked. My friends smiled.
"She's getting better!" Sarah shouted, and the crowd left the place.
"Where am I?" I asked, but I knew the answer very well. "How did this happen? It's impossible, I shouldn't be here" I stood up, and realised I was in the future, in my times, with my people.. on my holidays trip.
"What a stupid way to fall, Alana.." Commented Dave. "I told you that you're not wearing the proper shoes for walking in these rocks" I looked at him, trying to react. I had come back. But in theory, that couldn't have happened.
"Dave, how long have I been.. asleep? "I asked, and he shrugged.
"Just five minutes, nothing serious. It was just a small beat"
"Maybe she should go to the doctor" Suggested Pat, but I shook my head.
"I feel perfectly well, thanks.. I'm only a bit confused, because it seems that a century passed.." I started to wonder if everything had been a dream, if that amazing experience never happened in reality. And Paris.. he was just a dream, yes. Tears came to my eyes and I couldn't stop them. My friends looked at me, surprised.
"Alana! What's wrong?" Sarah took my arm, and they looked at each others.
"I can't describe how I'm feeling.. I'm so.." I said, but I knew that any attempt to tell them what had happened would be useless.. nobody in this world would believe me. I was alone, with the weight of the past days over my shoudlers, with the shock of having lived in a war, attacked by soldiers, experienced love.. with one of the most important historic men, in one of the most important historic places. And I would have to live with this, with the months lived there as if they hadn't happened. How would I bear it?
"Lets go back to the hotel. Maybe you need to rest.." We left the rocks and walked in the narrow stoned street, in silence. I noticed their gazes on me, knowing what they were thinking. An old man walked in front of us, dressed in dirty clothes and carrying a bag full of fruit. We separated to let him pass, and when he did it, I met his blue eyes. I jumped, and took his arm, shouting.
"Priam! I knew it wasn't a dream!!" The old man turned around with an angry face. "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were.." He murmured some words in his native language, and my friends looked so scared.
"Alana.. are you feeling well? Who is Priam?" Asked Dave. I looked at him and wished to talk, to tell everything.
"Priam is the king of Troy.." I said, without thinking. Dave gaped at me, as well as Sarah and Pat.
"Oh... and.. you thought he was the king of Troy?" He asked again, and I realised how ridiculous it sounded from his voice.
"Why? You don't believe me? "I looked at all of them, and the girls avoided my gaze.
"It's not this, Alana.. but you have to understand that..well.." Dave didn't know how to say it. "Priam existed long time ago.. you can't meet him here.. I mean.."
"I know what you mean!" I shouted, and went on walking.
"You're scaring us, Alana" Said Sarah. We walked in silence, and once in the hotel, I asked for a new room for myself. That was our last night in that country and in some hours we would return to daily life.
During the night I couldn't sleep. It was amazing that I was wearing my usual clothes again, as if nothing had happened. I opened the balcony and looked at the full moon over the sea. I knew that I would become crazy.. I would need a psichiatrist, and the doctor would think I was really crazy.. they would send me to a mental institution.. that would be my life. Sure I had a mental illness.. I had dreams that were so real, i had visions of past times.I was in love with someone who had been dead for thousands of years.
I looked around, distracted by the shine of something . The moonlight crossed the window, and lighted the inside of the room, where I had put my clothes. My jeans were hunging from a chair, and an object was falling from a pocket. I looked at it, frowning. What was that? Walking there, I picked it up with my fingers and went to the balcony, where the moonlight was stronger.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing.. a new force, a new hope came to me and made me feel sure of myself. I wasn't mad, crazy or mentally disabled. I was standing there with the broken bracelet of Paris between my fingers.During our runaway I had broken it when I was holding his arm. I smiled, I had proofs, now people would believe me. But then I started to think again. They would think I stole it from a museum.. no, nobody should know the truth. I knew the truth and that was enough.
I couldn't help crying, and tears came easily. I had a memory of Paris but I could never see him again. Centuries of history separated us, and obvioulsy mine was a short journey there, in Troy. And I didn't get anything. I didn't solve anything. I complicated things so much. I was surprised that the world was still the same, because historical facts had been altered. I wondered what had happened to Priam. He said he would be living in the future. But he also said I couldn't return, and there I was.
I laid on the bed, looking at the silver piece of bracelet. The last tear dropped before I fell asleep.